system. i think rightly suggests that if you're going to go down a co-op route, it's a lot more complicated than just getting a bunch of people in a room together and figuring out a way to swap money so that everybody's insured. and i think that's instructive in terms of when we talk about, how do you create one of these things or more around the country. >> if there are complications involved, what did he say that might clue you? >> his last comment about provider payments. obviously he's well aware that co-ops are not the ultimate solution if there is such a thing for the health care problem in this country. the health care delivery dilemma in this country. he understands that. i think, as we said during the show, the problem is the politics. it's educating people, educating consumers, talking in down to earth terms about what this is. and that i think is the first hurdle. >> you said hurdle, you asked

him repeatedly about regulation. what did he say or didn't say that might be interesting? >> he reinforced the idea that typically insurance has been a state regulated function. it's been trying as long as i've been covering congress, 30 years, they've been trying to somehow break down those walls. it doesn't happen. i'm not sure it's going to happen. so that's a problem. and, again, it goes back to who oversees it. if you don't oversee it on a federal level, then what? you're going to have this hodgepodge of co-ops around the country doing different thing sns >> and when you talked about cost, you asked him about consumer behavior. is that how they treat this system? >> david also asked a good question about their premiums. i mean, have they been able to show a difference not only in whether they're providing better care and their consumers are happier, but what's happening with the rate of

growth and health care costs, which of course is the biggest issue haunting all of us this discussion. >> did he address how they control costs in your mind? and is that going to be a concern about how you control costs in the system? >> it's crucial. absolutely. again, in the 25 minutes or so he had, did he address it? you can't really address it in that period of time. he's well aware of it and i think he and others in washington are doing what they can to address this but it's a problem. >> i would just say that when he talks about integrated delivery of care, i think there's broad consensus out there that that's the way that you get better quality when you have your primary care doctor talking to your surgeon, talking to your nurse, when all those people are talking together, you get better results. and we don't have a system right now where that's the experience for most patients. they go to a doctor who doesn't necessarily talk to the specialist who may not talk to

the hospital. and that discussion is a very different discussion than are we going to have a public plan, a co-op, are we going to mandate that people have insurance. the problem is that getting to that place, getting to a place like group health where you have an integrated system is potentially very disruptive because you're banding a lot of people together and therefore very politically challenging. >> as far as this discussion, how serious do you think this co-op option that we've heard about the last couple of days, how long does this remain in the conversation? >> i think congress returns september 8, so it will last at least a while. i think we have to step back and look at this as a bigger piece. members of congress are having serious in-depth discussions about how to change health care in this country. co-ops are one alternative, provider payments, integrated delivery. we can't just isolate these things. and that's what's so encouraging. we're discussing it.

mr. armstrong is discussing it. i don't know what's going to happen, nobody does. but it's all part of the debate right now. >> we have about 30 seconds. >> i would just add that as long as we're talking about reform in this way and not about death panels and various other things, i think that's probably a positive. thank you both for being on "newsmakers." [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] later, president obama.

>> this fall, enter the home of america's highest court to the grand places, to those only accessible to the nine justices. >> our health care town hall coverage begins with north carolina representative patrick

mchenry. shortly after his remarks he takes questions from constituents. law makers across the country are holding similar meetings this month. this is about two hours. >> thank you all for coming out tonight. it's always great to be home. i represent ten counties across western north carolina, but this is where i'm from. this is where i was raised. so it's good to be at home. and i'm glad you all came out tonight. last year we had a town haul meeting and we had 19 people show up. and so you and the first two rows would cover it all.

i try to keep in constant contact about what's happening in washington and what i'm doing. and so town halls seem to me to be a great way to get this exchange of ideas. and that's really, after all, what this is all about. isn't it? ideas and the kind of government that we're going to have. and so tonight i appreciate you all coming out. and i've got a few issues on my mind and i know you have issues on your minds. how many have health care on your minds? please raise your hands. ok. almost all of you. i want to begin with sort of what's happening in washington and i want to talk about three

issues. first, back at the beginning of the year we saw the economy tanking at the end of last year. here in western north carolina we've seen this coming for quite a while. we've had our struggling ways with loss of textile and manufacturing jobs. textile and furniture have been severely hit. and so i voted against unfair trade agreements which i thought would do the wrong things for our jobs. but i've also favored policies that were going to help us. and what i saw at the beginning of the year was the need for a real stimulus bill that would have a real impact helping small business. and what i saw washington do is go in the exact opposite direction. they came up with a $787 billion sfluss plan which i believe has been a failure. now, the pledge was that if we passed this stimulus plan, unemployment would cap out at 8%. we're now approaching 10%

nationally and about 15%, a little over, here in our county. now, the stimulus plan has failed. the plan i supported would have created more jobs at half the price. it would have helped fund basic infrastructure like roads and bridges while at the same time helping small businesses keep those employees that they have employed and perhaps even hiring a few other people through tax credits. that plan would have done much better than what we've seen over the last six months. and it was just six months and a week ago that stimulus bill was passed. it's very expensive and i think the wrong direction. secondly, i want to mention cap and trade. this piece of legislation was passed in congress at the end of june. this bill as many refer to it as cap and tax or a national energy tax, out of concern for the environment they wanted to pass this bill and they passed it out of the house. well, i care about the environment as well.

i want to make sure that we have a wonderful quality of life, clean water, and clean air. absolutely. but we live in a large globe, and so we have to make sure other countries are with us as well and they're participating in trying to clean up our air. well, this cap and trade bill would cost $1,400 per year per family in increased energy bills. now, this is not my number, it's the congressional budget office's number. and that number originates from a congressional budget office that's headed by a democrat and that democrat was appointed by two democrats. so certainly it's not a biased number. that $1,400 per year is what m.i.t. calls low on the cost here. m.i.t. says it will cost more than twice that amount per family per year. my concern is that we have the wrong approach for cleaning up our environment. i think we need to use our existing resources and our existing revenue that is we get

off of oil, natural gas and coal which most of those areas as you know on lands that the government owns, that we as taxpayers own, the deep waters off our coast, remote areas of alaska. and we should get those natural resource that is we have here in this country to be energy independent but at the same time we can use those resources and those funds to fund alternative energy research, cleeb power that's efficient. right? the next generation of technology. those are the thing that is will clean up our environment over the long term. further more, if you look at what china is doing, according to the president's energy secretary china will emit more carbon into our atmosphere over the next 30 years than the united states has emitted since we were founded. think about that staggering sum. so we share the globe with them. we need to make sure that they participate as well. we can't simply pass energy policies that hurt

manufacturing and hurt our economy while at the same time allowing our competitors like china and india to pollute freely at a lower cost basis for energy. so we need to look at policies and see what's constructive, efficient, and effective. so when i'm telling you about these first two policies, the stimulus bill and cap and trade, i can tell you what i'm against. but i also am going to tell you tonight what i'm for. and so i know you've got questions about the third issue i want to mention, health care. how many think that hk doesn't need any changes or any type of reform whatsoever? please raise your hands. i always say there's one in the crowd. how many think that we've got to do something about health care but the approach is what thearts? i share your concern that reform for the sake of reform,

action for the sake of action is not right. touf make sure you do it right, not just quickly. and so what we've seen out of washington is their intent to act quickly, and i think in a way that's flawed. so as i told you, i'll tell you what i'm for and what i'm against. let me begin with what i'm against. this is h.r. 32 00, the house version of the president's health care plan. 1,018 pages. i can tell you what i'm against. i'm against this plan. now, i'll tell you why. and i know you're going to have questions about it. thank you. do we have consensus on this as

well? i've not completed reading it but i'm reading it right now. i promise we'll get to your questions. so tonight i'll tell you what i'm glens. and there are large components of this bill that are flawed. there's one area of this bill that's actually constructive and good and i'll tell you that area. first, i don't think insurance companies should be able to discriminate against individuals if they have a preexisting condition. so within this bill contains that component of legislation. i think that's good. and i think you should be able to move from insurance company to insurance company regardless of your medical condition or if you have challenges that you're facing with your health care. i think that helps with competition as well, because then we can actually have more choices if we move jobs or lose our job or try to go out and create our own business we're able to take our health care with us, portability. so that one component of eliminating the discrimination

against preexisting condition is good. ok? very little else in here is constructive and good for our health care or good for our choices. i will also tell you what the plan is that i'm for. and i'll just mention very briefly what that is. i think we need to have medical mall practice reform to cap law suits and control out of control law suits that we have now. [applause] i think we also need to have association health plans so small businesses can ban band together and negotiate with insurance companies. why can't the cheryville chamber of commerce negotiate for a dozen or 50 businesses that are in the area? right? to negotiate for a larger risk pool like that means that you can actually get a better deal out of the insurance cuts and lower rates.

beyond that, i think we need to be able to buy across state lines, which we certainly can't do. i think some of that stuff will increase competition. and there are other elements to it but i know you have health care questions. don't you? all right. so tonight i want to be very organized. i want to make sure that the rest of the world sees how folks in western north carolina act and how they treat each other. right? so tonight i'm not going to ask you to be polite to me or respectful to me. i work for you. right? you can treat me how you like. [applause] but if you would, if you could be courteous to the rest in the crowd, our neighbors that are here tonight. programs some young people that are here for a town hall meeting for the first time. if you could be respectful to them in your language and tone. and if people stand up and they're asking questions, please be respectful of their

opinion. we all have our own opinions on health care. but if we could respect one another's opinions regardless of whether or not we believe what they're saying is true or right or whatever, i think that would help too. so if we can show the world how town hall meetings are done in the south, that might help a good bit. so tonight, if you have a question you would like to ask, if you will line up either behind austin or behind billy, they have the microphones. if you'll line up there if you have a question we'll try to get to everybody's question in the best way possible. if you keep your question to a question or comment you can line up now if you'd like. thank you. if this is blocking people's views, i certainly understand but this is the most efficient way we've found to have questions or comments. if you could keep your comment

to a single issue or your question to a single issue, that would be very helpful. and if you could keep it to under a minute, that would be great as well. so, anyway, we've covered a good bit of territory thus far and so we'll open up to questions now. right over here, if you'll say your name and where you're from. >> bob smits. cherryville. >> great. >> what are we going to do about securing our borders and the 12 to 15 million foreign nationals living in this country illegally whom we're educating, we're medicating, and housing a lot of them? we need to identify them and deport them. [applause] >> thank you so much for the question. it's a great question. we must have secure borders. we have to have internal enforcement here of our immigration laws. a great nation should know who is within their borders.

it's a matter of national security and in this time economic security. and so we need to know who is here. i've sponsored legislation, it's a bipartisan piece of legislation written by congressman shure up in nashville. it's called the save act which has real internal enforcement and does it the way i think would make you proud. the fact is if you break the law to get in this country you're not going to respect the law once you're here. it doesn't mean that we don't welcome immigrants. actually, our ancestors were welcomed here. but you have to make sure you do it the right way, the legal way. and we need to make sure the process works and at the same time that we have real border security. that's what i'm fighting for. unfortunately, the challenge in the united states house of representatives is the speaker of the house doesn't share our perspective on this matter. so we have to make sure that we get good people in office that are going to do the right thing for border security and all these other issues. thank you for raising the

question. yes, sir. >> my name is chuck cost anywhere. i just want to make a comment about the situation with the health care. last august my dad went into the hospital, found out on monday he needed a triple buy pass surgery. he's been doing fine ever since. the condition he was in, he didn't have six weeks to wait on a cardiologist it wasn't going to happen. six weeks later he wouldn't have been here. from what i've seen of other countries, and i'm talking about the u.k. and canada mostly it would have been a minimum of six weeks. from there they would have made him an appointment. and they know, last fall i'm not a member but i know a guy that is or was, any how, and they were talking about they're basically putting people on lists knowing they'll never live long enough to get the surgeries. i don't know if anybody that's for this thing thinks they're going to be exempt from that kind of treatment but you're

not. this is going to be a disaster no matter how you look at it. it's as simple, like you were talking about keeping it in simple terms as far as being able to go across state lines. i'm a fairier here, and if you had three, me and two others get together and say here's the price we're going to set and assuming you couldn't go outside to get your horse shude you're stuck with that. you're talking about preexisting conditions, there's nine other states that i know of that accept preexisting conditions. so people that have, if you could shop across stateline, you could get insurance that way and a lot lower. i know iowa is half to a third of what ours is. if you could shop around, it's simple freedoms like that, that right there is just control on any level. and if you're letting them control your health care, they've got you. and we need more freedom. thank you. [applause] >> thank you.

i mean, you've made a man tass tick point. and what i would say to add on to what you said, i think what the gentleman said is, well, he's a fairier, so good horse sense is what they say. right? but the idea that you have competition, that's what we need to instill in this current marketplace we have. and we can maintain state based regulation of insurance, but we should be able to go across state lines. the constitution says the congress has the authority to regulate interstate commerce. well, last time i checked, i could go buy a simple product across the stateline, i could go buy a car down in south carolina. why can't i go get insurance from south carolina or any other state? different states have different mandates on their health care from minimums of care. that may mean longer hospital

stays but it costs you more money. why don't you have a variety of plans that you could actually choose from across state lines and have real competition? insurance companies don't want that competition. after all, north carolina more than half of the insurance marketplace is controlled by one entity. soy called not for profit called blue cross, blue shield of north carolina. they don't want to have to compete against blue cross/blue shield of another state. they don't want to have that competition. and the thing is, with more competition we the consumers, the patients, win. thank you, sir. i appreciate it. yes, sir. say your name and where you're from. >> walter kim belle. gasten county. first a comment your statement sir that you work for us. it seems to me watching many of the media accounts from across the country that some of your colleagues have forgotten that they work for us. now, on to my question.

it has two parts. first of all, if the plan is as wonderful as it's supposed to be, why are the members of congress apparently not going to be par taking in that plan is is the first part. and the second part has to do with the time line. why are we trying to pass this overreaching legislation which basically will affect er american in less time than it's taken for the president to pick out a dog for the white house? those are my questions, sir. [applause] >> i think they agree with you. great point. i'm a co-sponsor of resolution that says if you vote for it, you're enrolled in it. would you all agree?

congress must be under the same laws as the people that they represent. and under this -- [applause] and the rush to action is a great concern. how many of you all logged on to the internet and actually pulled up the legislative text of h.r. 32 00? raise your hand. hold your hands up. that is amazing. now, how many of you would normally go on line and look at legislative text? ok, we've got three or four. there are a couple of you. but the fact is that we've got a whole group of people looking at legislation for the first time to make a judgment for themselves. there's certain components of this bill that have been explained by other people but you want to look at it and judge for yours. and there's one section in particular that rather than

telling you what i think about it, i'll just read the legislative text and i'm sure we'll have questions about this section later on. but the point i would make is that an active engaged citizenry, actively engaged in their governments and making sure that the laws that congress and the general assembly for that matter here in north carolina is passing makes for a better end product for legislation. and i want to hear my feedback from my constituents. that's why i have townhall meetings. not because of one group agreeing or disagreeing with me. that's not really the point. the point is to actually hear from your constituents. so with that i'll wrap up and go to the next question but thank you for your comments. absolutely. >> my name is gary mims. i've been involved in health care for 30 years. i provide different types of care, i'm responsible for sen call centers. i see patients every day, i deal with insurers, physicians,

nurses, a lot of different people. ict you i can tell you the perspective of the care givers. neither side of the aisle looks really good right now. it looks if you have a car the brakes don't work, the democrats want to throw the car away and buy a helicopters. and the republicans want to say let the free market decide whether or not we need brakes. a reasonable person would say take the car to the mechanic and let him fix the brakes. too often i'm hearing, and the reason i believe that neither side has a good handle on this is because what i'm hearing on the news from both sides is it's as if you're listening to lobbyists and politicians to make these decisions. i don't believe that enough emphasis is going to the care givers, to the physicians and the people at the bed side, things like every hospital has an ethics committee. we've discussed this.

and, believe me, the kind of feedback we get from you gentlemen, it's hard to believe that you're really getting information from reasonable sources. and i know i'm insulting some of the conservatives in here but i'm also insulting the liberals at the same time. i just don't believe that true care givers are having that much input into some of this discussion. >> so what's your input as a care giver? you know, if you're saying that input is needed from a care giver, and that's your point, my question to you would be, what do you want to see? >> what i'd like to see are people who do hands-on care actually being involved in the process, whether it's setting up committees, setting up commissions, whatever, people who are there who can answer some of the questions. for instance, i'll give you one

thing. we've all heard about the death panels. right? ok. you and i have a mutual friend an on congs in gas tonia he is on the committee. speak to him about end of life decisions. they're not this horrible thing that is you're hearing from the right and they're certainly not some of the things that you're hearing from the left what we should be doing. they're reasonable ways to deal with end of life decisions. unless you're at the bedside it's difficult to hear that. >> what's your practice? >> certified clinical exercise special list. >> i appreciate your input are you in my district? >> yes, sir. >> i just want to make sure you get my communications on this. and we've tried to communicate the best we can to the medical community. so to touch on this, we get the government that we elect.

it's true. and i would tell you that republicans are my party is in the minority in congress right now based on the fact that the american people spoke at the last election. i understand that. but my constituents spoke and put me into office to make these decisions as well and simply because the majority is different doesn't mean that i stop acting on behalf of my constituents. what i would tell you about health care is that there is a way to get a reasonable bipartisan compromise. there is. and in terms of you saying republicans this and democrats this, i would like you to hear me out tonight and hear what i would like to do for health care. and i talk to providers all the time. and that goes for chuck to a number of other doctors to hear their input. and what i would tell you about this so-called death panel element, which is a section of the bill that i norm ily bring out my blackberry and read the stks of it because the section

12 33 and there's a lot of hot debate about it. but regardless about how you feel about this, would you rather have that physician's ethics panel do it or would you rather have a panel in washington that may or may not be physicians that has enormous latitudes on the actions? could take? . .  in terms of input, the american medical association has been bought off and it is in favor of this deal.

i say they have been bought off, and that is my language -- pardon me. the ama and phrma are actually in favor of this. yes, local doctors are not with ama on this bill. they think that the so-called public option is the wrong direction and will hurt. hurt but i think you're right. there needs to be better input. you need to use the incubator of the states were you have real change in public policy. you need to use those ideas and take a measured approach to fixing the brakes on that car, not throwing away. the away thank you for your comments. [applause] yes, sir? >> my name is jim and i am from

kings mountain. i have a comment. myself and some have talked to have lost all dressed in congress and the senate. we believe as an example that the 1000-page document is contrived so that they can hide things from the public, that they can shoot through at a moment's notice without anyone knowing what is in there. i think that from time to time when you put your foot on that stack of papers, i think that is where belongs. you should kick it off the stage and get it out of here. >> thank you. and i would tell you that we have the ability to elect four people to the federal government. one member of congress, the two senators, and the president.

you get the vice-president thrown in for free. but those four offices that we elect directly, we need to make sure they're held accountable, meaning he mails, phone calls, letters. talk to me at the grocer's store. that is part of the whole process. we have to hold elected officials accountable and take ownership for the government. >> patrick from cherryville. i will be brief. most of the people i talked to are definitely in favor of things such as lower taxes, less crime, economic development, and a sound basis of education. we know that your commitment to our constitutional guarantees is there. but are you as astounded as most at the level of the budget deficits and national debt that

we are insulating our children with? actually, members of congress and those whose son budgets are enslaving our children to an ungodly amount of debt. >> your representatives are you. you have to make your voice heard and make sure that you let people who are in keeping with your philosophy and what you want from government. i am astounded by the massive debt washington has occurred. we have a debt that rivals european standards of indebtedness for government. that is the wrong approach. so far this year we have a $1.20 trillion deficit in washington. at the end of the year in two months, september 30, that will be $1.80 trillion. the highest before this year was

about $500 billion under the last president. this is a bipartisan problem. we have to have people who have a stiff spine to balance the budget. we cannot afford running these massive deficits and borrowing from china at an amazing rate. there is a difference between how drunken sailors spend money and how congress spends money -- the only difference is that drunken sailors actually spend their own money. [applause] so, rather than having a $1.30 trillion healthcare bill here, that is going to run up massive deficits every year from the moment it is implemented after the next presidential election, that deficit will be enormous

and it difficult for us to contend with. if you look back at the debate over medicare four years ago, the budget analysis was that medicare would cost about $10 up to $20 billion per year. it currently costs about $110 billion per year. they get it wrong. we cannot afford to get wrong with one seventh of our economy that health care represents. >> yes, deborah from cherryville. i would like to know the status of the un convention to the right to the child and what can we do to defeated? >> i'm concerned about it as well. if we can get your contact information we can tell you exactly where we are in the process because i cannot give you the details right now. i'm concerned about the

limitation on the ability of parents to raise children as they see fit. we will follow up with you afterwards. thank you for raising the issue. yes, ma'am? " yes, hi. i am mary from cherryville. speaker pelosi's said that we will borrow $500 billion from social security to help fund the health plan. and also that the health plan was a self-sustaining plan. how do you feel about that? >> it would be great if it were. it would be better than now. it would be far less bad than is now. but the congressional budget office run by democrats has scored the bill and analyzed its cost. over the next 10 years ago cost

$1.30 trillion. there will be a deficit in that even though they have raised a lot of taxes. they have been individual tax based on enrollees in health insurance. that goes for everyone, regardless of income. there are a number of taxes in here and it still does not balance. the fact about social security is that we have taken a lot of money out of its to fund other government issues. it is not right. we need to put the money back. [applause] yes, sir? >> thank you for being here today and allowing us to come to express ourselves. i'm scott and i live in shelby, north carolina.

first of all, we had it this debate back in 1993, 1994. we were assured by the republican party that competition would take its course and solve our medical insurance and issues. since then i have seen my premiums with my employer one year 2004, to those of five increased by 100%. and every year since then it has gone up. co-pays have gone up. we have probably gone through four or five different insurance companies. when my first child was born we received a bill for that that was outrageous. the insurance company paid far less than what was billed for that procedure.

recently i was hospitalized for one night and believed the bill was $4,000 for mersa. the insurance company paid much less than what was the. -- them what was billed. -- than what was billed. so, first of all, why are doctors and hospitals not charging the true cost of the stay? and i'm leaning towards the single-pay public option. but i just think that ultimately we have to put our heads together. if we can put a man on the moon, why can't we figure out this issue? if you will suffer me one more thing -- i was first registered

at age 18 as a republican, strong supporter of ronald reagan and all of his theology or philosophy. but since then the republican party has lost me. i am now a registered independent. it is for such things as this -- if you can look at the enormous and ridiculous salaries and other compensation of high- ranking and management executives in the u.s. and global corporations, in addition to those who are on their boards of directors, getting their stock options, one thing after the other. it is no wonder that they cannot afford to pay the common man a good and decent, reasonable salary. and so, they are taking all the

gains for themselves and asking for more from taxpayers to be paid ultimately by our taxes when there education and credentials bring us all to ruin which is evident today in this economy. think of the following examples of corporate failures -- corporate, corporations, business who cannot do any wrong, especially by the conservative point of view. let's think about enron, tacio, arthur andersen, general motors, chrysler, ford, merrill lynch, wachovia, bear stearns, a.i.g., bank of america, exxon, and of the valdez fiasco, lehman brothers, washington mutual, countrywide financial, and so

on. do we not ever consider? we talk about the inefficiency of the government and our enormous deficits. as of october last year our country had commended itself to something like $7.70 trillion with all the bailouts. >> if you could wrap it up because we have a lot of folks behind you. >> do we not ever consider -- yes, there is waste and fraud in government. but we need to give a lot more attention to the waste and fraud in business and the burden it places on society. [applause] >> thank you. scott, i share your concern about waste, fraud, and abuse wherever it is. the fact is i am elected to represent you in washington and

overseas. your taxpayer overseas so, it is not my business to be in your business. [applause] look, i voted against all those bailouts. i thought it was the wrong direction. [applause] but when companies succeed or fail it affects those people who are making decisions for their company, the people who invest in them. that is held the system works. i do not want to see government controlling. and more controlling when you talk about chrysler and gm, the government build them both out and now you're joking about chrysler putting jobs in mexico to produce the fiat. that is not a good investment in

america. it is not that i do not love our local car dealers. i did vote against the cash for clunkers, though. [applause] with the difference is, when private enterprise fails it fails the people who made the choice to invest in the company. and those people who are leaving the company. but when the government fails it just goes back into your wallet and takes more from you. so, i am trying to limit that. i understand your concern and desire for single-payer system. i quite frankly disagree. i see when government gets involved in business and does not do it more efficiently. it does not do with less waste and fraud than the private sector. you can certainly find examples

of companies who have filled. -- who have failed. [applause] what is your name? >> how are you tonight? ok, i do not like to talk with that thing. amplifies my voice in a would you explain to me [unintelligible] it is good to trade with other countries, but it came up for renewal two years ago. >> no, sir. it is a permanent treaty. >> the congressman over here was inside the vote on this. i thought it came up for renewal. >> that was in 1994 and the congressman has been now for quite a while.

he has been out since 1998. >> was it concord, i like that congressman? >> that is a different tree. what is your question? >> i want to know about the nafta trade. it is good to trade, but you can't have more coming in then what is going not. you blame labor interests going overseas the county and state taxed them and they have to play unemployment insurance and workers' comp. there are thousands of dollars on some working the textiles. we need manufacturing jobs. you have a lot of people who cannot work up there on the roads and what you're putting money into. you're putting a lot of the illegals out there.

how many million dollars have you put into north carolina? co-op insurance -- roosevelt set them up in the 1930's. r.e.a. is working my good. in the 1950's, the governor wanted the telephone system in north carolina. you either run the funds out into the rural area or we will form a co-ops, and suddenly the telephone companies got busy. it has been mentioned about though co-op insurance -- i have insurance, but is really working on my pocketbook. if my social security does not jump up by $50 per year, before long my insurance will be more. but i do not have to pay

anything my good to the doctor or hospital. . but i am paying a one thing else -- this proposal -- how with a grown man think of something like that? i went through the 1980's and i did not go along with it in the dairy industry. i was a ronald reagan man. he had two programs the pic, and another. it did not work. now we have those clocker program -- the clocker per room, and they -- the cash for clunkers program, and they said they're buying the foreign cars. 35 million people on food stamps. i'm not critical. but that is alarming. before long it will be 50

million because people will start hurting out there and you're politicians up there in washington say will bottom out. >> let me try to enter two of those four questions there. first, i voted against cash for clunkers. i think it will cause some problems in a couple of months when people cannot make those car payments. about co-ops, the idea that we have a co-op as an alternative to the government option -- it just depends how the constructive. if a government-run co-op is basically equivalent to a government-run insurance plan, then i do not think it is the right way to go. social security will go bankrupt starting in 2013. medicare in 2019. we have two major programs that are important to seniors and not

sustainable currently. we need to look skeptically at the government expanding further into the real economy, especially when we have enough government programs to clean up already. in these terms i would say it is a little better. in reference to the phone companies, when we deregulated the companies and have a number of different providers, your long distance rates came we down. now you can get long distance for a few cents per minute. so, the private sector can create enormous good for competition. we have to do this properly and incentivize the competition and a real way that is effective.

to make sure that you have competition for societal good under health care. competition drove down the price. yes, sir? close good afternoon. john from cherryville. one thing has fallen into the background is the fact we're still at war. we have been fighting endlessly for least the past eight years. we spend billions of dollars. we spend too many lives. what is our exit strategy? what are we doing? are we attempting to annex afghanistan? what is our way out? >> it is a very good, serious question. in iraq i would tell you that the surge had an enormous

benefit in terms of getting the violence down to lower rates than previous. we have seen a lot of violence in the last few days in iraq that were as for the iraqis to bear the burden. we have done -- we have gotten to the point with iraq where it now becomes their duty. we have trained the military and have a civil government running. there have been multiple actions. they need to take ownership of their democracy. we are in the process of pulling troops out. now with large-scale attacks it has been the iraqis who have borne the greater brunt of the burden in dealing with the violence. the american troops -- we have pulled out of most of the major cities. that is good.

we need to make sure we get our men and women home safely. we need to get them home soon with less expense to taxpayers. the iraqis need to bear that expense. when it comes to afghanistan, the insurgency there, what ever you want to call them whether al qaeda or whatever group there, they are largely funded out of the heroin trade. we have had multi-national troops there. one of the problems is that there will not fight. we are bearing the burden there. we need to make sure we get it turned over to the afghans.

unfortunately, their government has major problems. you're right. the government is largely not doing its job. it is governing from the safe areas which is the equivalent of local police saying we will not go into neighborhoods where there is violence. they are trying to take the elements that work in iraq and apply them to afghanistan. some can work. i have a great deal of concern about making americans deal with the brunt of this issue when it should be afghans.

unfortunately, while in iraq there was a notion of government historically, in afghanistan it has been largely and governed. in terms under the previous president and under this president, it is for the presidents and military leaders to set policy and goals and for congress to fund them. as a matter of public policy i will make sure that we find our troops on the battlefield regardless of whether or not i agree with the president. [applause] i appreciate your raising the issue. there is not a simple answer.

you are exactly right. >> my name is leon and i live in your district in cleveland county. if this health care plan does pass, what changes will have on the way the veterans now receive hospitalization and healthcare? >> thank you for serving. that is a great question. we are still trying to go through the scenarios by which different groups are affected. one area i have concern is for veterans with tri-care, those getting their care through the v.a. system. i have worked hard to get the veterans clinic open but a closer location then nashville.

i am still trying to figure out how veterans are affected through this them. it does not appear that veterans would be adversely affected. i want to make sure the details are correct. so, we're still working that out. we would be happy to contact you when we figure out for certain how veterans will be affected or if there are the unintended consequences to the bill. tanker. -- thank you. [applause] >> i have a comment to make. thank you for your conservative leadership in washington. [applause] we have had a congress that has spent money like jon edwards in a the shop. >> i'm glad that you only made?

edwards jet. >> working in small business, it will take leadership that is not left or right. when you get back to washington i would like you to tell nancy pelosi and mr. harry reid that we can take all the money and put it into health care and it will not fix the problem until we put investment into prevention and wellness, that will drive costs down. i have a friend at duke university next week for cancer treatment. we are better than that to tell us must wait six months. most americans value life. the value the life at one as it represents all. thank you for your conservative leadership. [applause]

>> thank you. a good part of any health care reform must include wellness and prevention. going to get a physical every year to detect problems before they become serious. the healthcare provider earlier made the analogy to get in your brakes replaced in the car. well, when you get your oil change they actually check the brakes, tires. we should do the same for health care. unfortunately, this bill from the house does not address it wellness programs. when you talk to good businesses they talk about on his programs -- the talk about wellness programs for their employes. they get a lot of benefit from it. it would be easier to detect a small problem early on then a

big problem late. you are right. wellness must be something we all take seriously. our health, how we eat and exercise is very serious. after having said that, this is my eighth town hall meeting this year. when we get done it is late in the evening. i'm forced to do what many of us are -- go to a drive-n. -- i'm sorry, a drive-thru. to pick up some food. after one town hall meeting i got done talking about welness programs and the right and there was so hungry and chick-fil-a will still open and i opened a number one -- and i ordered a number one combo with a diet

coke and they ask me for one did a biggie size and i said, of course. i finished eating all that and it hit me like a ton of bricks. that was dumb. so, it is something that we all struggle with. it is something that we can control and i think that we should. yes, sir? >> i am norman and i live here in cherryville. i would like for you to take a little bit of stimulus money and put it better seats in this auditorium. [laughter] >> as in no, three months ago this auditorium did not have air-conditioning. -- as if you know. we're grateful. >> and i know that the seats will come.

this will sound dumb to you, but i called your office and asked for some members. through them i learned that about 1.4 citizens of north carolina are under medicaid. >> mm-hmm. >> why can we not just medicaid enough to take care of those people who now do not have insurance? now, of course, i do not want to see the illegals considered. there are a lot who do not now have insurance who do not want insurance. it will not leave a big number of those who could not change

the rules to put them into medicare. your job would be done and we can all go home. >> about medicaid -- the plan would support and do support is written by senator richard burke, that bill and,ryan-nunez bill in the house. it would give all americans using existing government revenue medicare, medicaid, schip. it would give everyone a tax credit using those existing revenues. we can actually give all americans of belt a $3,000 tax credit so they can buy health insurance. you would only get it -- it functions on your tax form. all americans would get about that much, $3,000, to buy health

insurance. they would be in the private marketplace and could make choices for themselves. furthermore, it would not have this issue with the gentleman before about medicare that costs, the cost of a supplement. everyone would be in the private marketplace. 8% could buy from that baseline tax credit. there are some americans that we need to provide for. -- 80% could buy from that baseline tax credit. the vast majority of us can get into the private marketplace. this would get the younger, healthier people into the. insurance the

60% of the uninsured are under 35. if you are over 35 remember how you never thought you would get sick or anything bad would happen. a lot of these people do not want to buy because they do not think they need it. there is the concern of those were laid off or simply cannot afford to buy. we need to make sure they have access. we can do that through existing revenue streams. it would fix medicare and medicaid. that is what i support. >> hi, i am betty white and i

want to thank you for being so committed to the people in your district. what has happened in the 1960's when billions of dollars was taken out of the social security fund and never put back? if you good to the bank and borrow money you have to pay back, right? well, they have not paid back. social security would not be in this shape if the money had been paid back. the second thing is, veterans are the backbone of our country. they have made this country what it was. they are being forgotten, pushed through the cracks. >> i think you're right. when we have a young man or woman willing to fight for our freedom we have to honor our commitment to them when they come down. that means the best benefits and health care in the world. that is what i support.

[applause] it was not just in the 1960's when congress robert social security to pay for other things. they have done it ever since. -- when they robbed social security. the ideas that you take it away from politicians, make its whole, and then we can talk about reform for the next generation. make sure that we fix it for those who are at or near retirement. for the younger workers to make sure they can get a benefit from social security and not pay into it only. so, those 30 and denver may have a different social security, but we need to have generational fairness. -- for those 30 and younger.

we need to make sure that forcing years right now they do not have any changes or cuts. two. -- for the seniors right now. but they do not have any changes or cut. thank you. >> i have just one common. according to homeland saturday i'm one of the biggest threat -- to the homeless security, and one of the biggest threats to america. look at me. >> you say that with a smile. >> i was reading obama's web page and wanted take $360 billion away from medicare and want another $140 billion because our doctors are cheats and crackers. -- sheets and creeks. the trip patients -- our patients have said that they are

being told to go home. i do not want an hmo. i got laid off because of the auto industry. i have a precondition for i had a heart attack 10 years ago. i paid for my wife's insurance so that she does have been charged in the i still do not want the policy. burn it. as far as the soldiers go, the sec and other and father cries over a soldier cries over the coffin we give them a reason to believe do not make me come back so that this older does not die for nothing. >> thank you. and you are right. that is why we need to see these things through, to make sure

that we achieve the goal. our military men and women can achieve nearly any goal, but the politicians do not need to mess it up. [applause] and get them home, and of selena not keep changing the mission. health care in terms of pre- existing conditions -- i think he should be about to get health insurance. even if it was 10 years ago. our current system does not address that. this current bill does not either, unfortunately. i want to make sure everyone has that access to make health-care choices for themselves. i would rather you make your health care decision with your family, the nurse or doctor you

see, and the discussion between you and them, not with any member of congress. who you trust more? the congress or your doctor? [laughter] yes? >> hello. it is good to see you again. thank you for being here and giving generously of your time. i am the representative for this district and i'm happy to be here tonight as a citizen. my concerns also revolve around healthcare via as a health-care professional with 30 years of experience in cancer detection, and had some. as i look at the individuals who come to my laboratory, they are very concerned. when they have tests they want to know what will happen.

that is a great chart that you have talking about what happens in socialized medicine with lowering survival rates. we live longer in the u.s. because we put technology and health-care at our disposal to use for citizens. we have a better quality of life even though we may have been dealt a card unfavorable in terms of of having a disease. my question is, how do we as citizens in this strict110 and other counties helped to prepare ourselves so we can have the best quality health care and choices to live longer -- in district 110. >> thank you for representing us in riley. i know that it is quite a

challenge especially with this economy. [applause] >yes, i have a chart here is buying the cancer survival rates. about the meeting would be like last year with about 10 of us in a circle. but the chart i have here is the survival rate for prostate cancer in the u.s., canada, europe, and england. after five years we have 91% americans surviving. 85% in canada survive. in all of europe 57% survive. in england where we have a single-payer system, there is a

50.9% survival rate for prostate cancer. this is what i think about -- real lives. we have all been touched by cancer, if not personally, then our family. look at breast cancer survival. canada 82.5%, europe 73%, england at 69.8%. i have of this charter my website -- chart on my website. you can look at our sources and to judge the data for yourselves. the survival rate for cancer and across the board is better here in the u.s.

it is expensive, flawed, but far better than the single-payer system with a single option. that includes a long line and fewer choices. beyond that because the systems are so expensive you have rationing. the decision comes to a board of elected officials on whether you get your treatment, cure. whether it is worth a dollar cost for the taxpayer. i do not want to be in that a system. whether you have access to a cure, procedure, or drug. what we can do to maintain freedom of choice is to come

down to the town hall meetings. i do not know if we have a total on how many are present here tonight. 232 people. last year it was 19 people. i have had eight town hall meetings this evening and we have now had close to 4500 people come out. last year we had a total cost 10 town hall meetings of about 400 people. you can see that people care about this. you can hear it in people's voices tonight. they are sitting here in hard shares, at the gentleman said. -- i hard chairs. the phone calls and letters do matter.

you can make your voice heard also to our two senators and to the president. i'm grateful that joe biden is not president. [applause] sorry, joe. but an active and engaged citizenry makes all the difference in the world. it holds a elected officials accountable. it means we can make decisions and express our opinions. it matters in a big way. i'm glad citizens are active. where there is heat there is fire. the fact is, this august has been rather hot for those advocating for this plan. it has been high because people are reading the bill. people are making decisions. they are doing research on whether it is the best approach. the consensus is not for. the for three weeks ago the

president's approval rating were a net positive, but now are negative. -- the consensus is not for this plan. the town hall meetings are leading, not following public opinion. is there consensus against this plan in this room? [applause] >> representative, my name is leann. >> hold on once a committee of and my representing your perspective on health care? >> yes, yes. first of all i wanted to thank you for being so accessible. you really are. we appreciate that very much. i am one of those people who has

read a good portion of the bill. my eyes have glazed over. there are many things i wanted to talk about, but here is one thing in particular that no one else seems to discuss. i have notes. i am quoting this bill. it is called "the americans affordable health choices act for 2000. ninth" on page 1 it states "the purpose of this bill is to provide affordable, quality health care for all americans and reduce the growth in health-care spending, and for other purposes." my question is "does and for other purposes" carry a big

implication? on page 29 they talk about cost- sharing the bulls. then, on page 59 i am quoting "electronic funds transfers in order to allow automated reconciliation with the healthcare payment and a remittance advice." represented mchenry, i never thought i would have to ask this -- when did the government thinks they have the right to go into my bank account? [applause] also, we should not called the public option. this is the government option. no way around it.

>> this has come up a couple of times about access to your bank account. that is a concern. we are still seeing how that is done operationally under this legislation. i appreciate your reading the bill, bring it to everyone's attention. i share your concerns about the government accessing your medical records or bank of. accounts >> this is supposed to be a free country. accessing your medical records or bank accounts. >> elections have consequences. we tell this to our kids. we forget that sometimes as adults.

our form of democracy means that we elect officials that we support. so, if we do not support those actions, the we made the wrong choice in most corrected in the next election. thank you. [applause] now, i have two charts i want to reference. i am sorry they are not large enough for the crowd, but they are on my website. it does not matter here -- it is a mess. it is very complex. we also have another chart from

a group that does healthcare research, the democrats and cause them to gold center. this group has researched this bill and public. option -- and public option. it is only an option in the beginning, and then is the only option. so, that is not an option. the health care commissioner determines health insurance plans can be offered in this national exchange. they also determine what the public "plan or government option to" is. if the referee is wearing a carolina panthers jersey, the you think he will be an unbiased for the football game?

if your kid is on the baseball team, we be a fair referee? if you look at the health care commissioner, they can certainly have the plan for the government option. based on how this bill operates the onus is on the individual, not the business. so, individuals will have to purchase it. under this plan, 119 million americans will not be offered health insurance by their existing business. they will be dropped. that does not make the government auctioned a good one. it makes it more likely outcome -- and does not make the government option a good one.

i oppose this bill for the same reason that barney frank supports this bill. he said "i support a public option because of a good public option will lead to a single- payer system which i support." he certainly has sound reasoning, basic math. i come to the same conclusion except that i do not want the federal government having a single-payer system. >> my name is eric. i appreciate your being here. let me ask you a possibly a loaded question. i'm curious as to where the republicans have gone? outside the offox news and conservative talk-radio i do not really hear from our side telling us the truth. i voted for people to represent me.

we saw that a bipartisan presidential candidate, john mccain, lost an election. that gets us nowhere. i do not believe the opposing side is interested in getting. along i believe they are interested in taking. never is there a single source release can send money to help people like you and others -- i believe they're interested in taking over. there are elected officials such as borne a friend. you were trying to ask him a question on the house floor. -- such as barney frank. nancy pelosi said that she need a jet on friday. she decided she would not take the trip. that is a waste. >> it is cheaper than taking her on the trip. >> chris dodd participated in a

fever through countrywide mortgage. he and barney frank were instrumental in increasing the mortgage debacle we have been the big almost everything was fine. on the flip side, they said if you do not loan is money we will audit you. this includes illegal aliens. why are people who are doing illegal things, the president overstepping the constitution by appointingczars -- [applause] by. seen -- by appointing czars that do not have to go before the senate committee to be allowed to.

if people do not stand up and shout that this is wrong, against the constitution -- i want to hear from other people besides just fox news and talk rita. whether or not people like sarah palin, she is the only ones to endingup. what can we do to get the attention of our elected officials? the head of the republican party does not stand for what i believe in. i believe he is not doing the job he should be doing. if you need money to run ads, if there were a single source i could spensend my money to to im people of the truth -- before

obama was elected during his campaign he told us specifically what he would do to our country. he is doing. people wonder why this is happening. he is doing exactly what he said he would do. . .

it means if you move jobs, you cannot keep your plan. if you get laid off, you cannot keep your plan. simply this is not what he said

during the campaign. what i would tell you about the republican party, there is a debate about where the party is going. i have been a strong advocate for change. change in the direction for relying on the republican core principles. right and wrong in terms of our goals and values. strong enough to talk about issues that we don't normally talk about. talk about health care and education. talk about the reforms you want for your family. to stand up and say, i am an advocate for small business, not to go along with the big business agenda in washington, but to stand up for local folks and communicate with them -- in a way they can relate to. i am on facebook and winter.

i would encourage you to go to my facebook or twister side twisteriwittetwitter site. you have to hold these people accountable once you elect them. if you want to have a political discussion after that, i would be happy to do that. but i don't want to sit here and talk that campaign stuff. i can do that on my own personal time. thank you for coming out. i appreciate it. yes sir? >> de que congressman. i am from kings mountain.

president john kennedy asked us to do what we could for our country. i just wanted to say, what about anybody 30 or younger is no benefit from social security, we will still pay into it and we will still contribute. if you are at a certain age after a certain time you just don't get any benefits. we will not see it anyway. at least a note but i want leave my kids with the same thing. as 30 you are at the age were you can work and set up on your own retirement. you have plenty of years, you

have years for mutual-fund and retirement accounts. i want to present you with that idea and see what you thought about it. i don't mind sacrificing it. >> how about this? your employer pays 6.2% for social security and you pay 6.2% of your cellar for social security tax. 12.4%. how about 80 the employer's share and continue to put that into the system, about four younger workers, you of to opt out of that plan and have more of a 401k type of plan. still, a government rule -- regulated entity. if you would have -- and the retired federal employees here? yes ma'am. are you on the thrift savings

plan? >> yes. how about the thrift savings plan for the rest of society? you have some options for basically a mutual fund, very safe. you take your personal 6.2% and put it into that, still regulated by the government, still participate in the system, but younkers working people would -- younger people would go into that system. you give up half your social sturdy -- security tax to try to even this out for the generation that is getting close to retirement while at the same time giving younger workers a similar benefit. and the end -- in the end, based on the market over 30 or 50 years, we have had a very bad source here right now. but for a number workers it is

better. >> social security will be horrible by that time. thank you for much. >> thank you for stepping up and for being here tonight. >> i wanted to tell a horror story about a government health care. i am in the military, and i should get the best health care there is. during the first golf score i want into gimmickry -- marine corps in 1971 and i spend -- spent time in the gulf war. i got injured. they sent me to the hospital and the doctor there told me --

they x-rated and you cannot see most of x-rays and away. he said you tore a muscle and isn't anything you can do about it. well i was a firefighter. it had me upset. they sent me to another clinic and the doctors are there said there is a much you can do about it. you'll have to live with that and i thought i will lose everything i have worked for. there's nothing to be done. they sent me to shot air force base for therapy and the doctor said, we can't do anything about it, we you just have to live with it. my wife is a nurse, and she looked at me, she finally saw me

getting a little bit mental and she said, we are going to reduce something for you or you lose your mind. she got me an appointment to see a civilian doctor. i went to see him and he looked at me and he said, this can be fixed. it he said it should have been fixed when it happened over one month ago when it happened. i went back after he tell me this i want back to the clinic and i told the clinic that i have some you'll fix me and i want him to do it and that we need to do it now. they tell me to go home and they would call and see what they could do for me.

they called me an hour after i got home and they told me to pack my bag. they said they found a doctor down in texas and he will do the surgery. i got a little upset and i said what do you mean, you just found a doctor? i have been screaming for you all to do something and now that i found a doctor that can fix it, all of a sudden you can find somebody to fix it. they said -- i said, i trust this man and i want this meant to do it. they told me, if you don't let the stock to do it, we will pay for it. so guess who had to pay for their own in the line of duty military injury? i did. it cost me to pay for my injury,

to get me back to work on the fire department. if that is government health care come i don't want any of it. >> thank you. >> i am really glad to be here tonight. i am really learning a lot. when i hear you say things like, who you want to make your health-care decision, your congressman or your health care -- or your congressman? of course i want your health care professional. i can't go see my doctor because i have a $200 deductible.

why are we so willing to let private health insurance companies, who are profiting from our money, taking our money and not giving us the services we need so they can make a profit, why are we so willing to go along with that option and not the government option? while i don't like the idea of anyone millie in my health care, knowing that the health insurance co. who is taking money out of my pocket and putting it into there's makes me much more nervous than the other scenario. i mean no disrespect, but when i hear a senator byrd who has always responded to my e-mail -- when i hear about this plant he has proposed to allow people to buy private health insurance and you look at the millions of

dollars he has accepted from the health-care industry, it gives me pause. i just wanted to make that comment. i know this is an unpopular opinion in this room but i wanted to have a chance to say it. maybe you can explain why i should be more willing to put my health care in a for-profit system as opposed to the government. >> thank you for coming and expressing your opinion. in terms of a discussion about senator byrd, he is not here to defend himself. i understand your concern. and the idea insurance companies are profiting, it gives a lot of people prospered in understand that. the largest insurer in north carolina is a not-for-profit,

blue cross blue shield. they are not for profit. there is what is called retained earnings -- exactly. it is not that i support the health-care industry at all. that is not the intent. i am looking for a better delivery system. the better delivery system is where we can all save tax free. first, you have to set have money. it can be part of an answer, held savings accounts can be part of an answer, that means you pay less to the insurance company and we become consumers to health-care like we are consumers of other products and services that we have and that is far better than what we already have going. health insurance is expensive. a lot of people in our community

would be grateful to have a plan that you have. that is not to diminish your point at all. but to say that i would rather have private competition among insurers and incentivizing competition across state lines against these insurers, and we can wring out profits out of the system to make it more efficient and get better product offerings because of competitions. the example is the same example the president said. ups verses federal express, verses the united states postal service. we as consumers of delivery services get the benefit because now we have choices. that is fine. the postal service was created before federal express and ups, right? it is a little different than this government plan here, because we now have a private

delivery mechanism for health- care, and the government would get in and basically create a postal service. i don't think this is healthy. i would look at medicare as an example. medicare costs $110 billion per year to the taxpayers. that was 1991 or 1993 number. we are talking about one-third of our budget being consumed by medicare. it is not sustainable. if we are expanding that type of health-care offering from the taxpayers, it will bankrupt the system and not simply lead to higher taxes, but a morse unsustainable health care system, local hospitals and patience and doctors. i want to achieve what everybody wants to achieve, which is

universal health-care coverage, and do it in the eight -- and affordable means. i want to incentivize competition. thank you for coming out. we are coming down to the short rose. we have the last three here. >> i have been a cpa for 39 years. i want to address a few things. we need health care reform. but this trash you have up there needs to be booted off the stage. this is a fiasco. that is one of the first bills

that i thought i could not be written as stupid as the irs code but this is. >> not to interrupt, but it is interesting to listen to you because i have read these news reports about these angry mobs at town hall meetings. and you said that with a smile. >> i will not stand up here and yell at you. let's get down to specifics. from health care back years ago, being a cpa, and a national organization. we had group plans back then. we went out, we got the plant and it was great for the group. that way you can compete with wal-mart. if we don't do toward reform, let's go back to where the profit began. when we ended up with malpractice insurance -- i have clients who are getting their

tails gleaned over malpractice insurance. the insurance companies will make a profit weather is blue cross blue shield not for profit or a profitable entity. if we don't get toward reform specifically the numbers say between 1-4% of the cost of medical care is because it is malpractice i will use john edwards to make a point. how can a man as young as he was completely retire from malpractice lawsuits. he did not sell for one thing as far as health issues. toward reform has got to be a part of it. we have to have groups. any group can do a better job than the federal government can do on anything. if i think we have to have the congress and the federal government will be part of any health-care plan, the far -- the fox will be guarding the hen

house. government knows best. we have been sent a bill of goods for years. social security is flat broke. that is the bigger issue than health care. the person who made the statement about czars, is it constitutional that they can answer to no one and they are making policy decisions? somebody needs to get a hold of it in question it. i am very concerned. i have always been taught that 90% of the solution to any

problem is having enough sense to recognize the problem. we can fix what we have. but to tear it apart and throw away is ridiculous. [applause] >> it is the one good thing to come of the bill is short being engaged and in your government, but i am glad they offered it. the citizens need to be engaged and involved in their government, from city, county, state, federal, all levels, to make sure we people who are accountable and doing the right thing. about they czars, the president has the authority to hire and fire his own staff. that is out it runs.

-- this is how it runs. the confirmation process for cabinet agency has. their report to the secretary of treasury, the department of defense, these were created by congress through block. the confirmation process -- i am just restating this to show you my line of reasoning. the president recommends and the senate confirms these has a different agencies and they have powers granted to those agencies by an act of congress and by law. they are also not accountable to just a precedent, but to the people's representatives on capitol hill. therefore, these czars are collecting a paycheck without having any power, or if they have power, there circumventing federal law.

i can demand hearings on this in september. the chairman of the oversight and reform committee is not intent on investigating this matter. i would like to ask them some questions. do you have any power? they can say yes or no. macy's, then there circumcision -- circumventing federal law. -- if it is yes, then they are circumventing federal law. amen to the rest of your statement as well. thank you. >> i think i am going to have to change the subject. i am an educator. i am the assistant principal at

davis medal. one of the thing that educators are worried about is no child left behind. my comment is that say for instance our school has 500 of the students. we did not make our annual proficiency because we had won a subgroup -- 40 kids that were not up to par. i would like to see some revisions of that. i would also like to call your attention to, and maybe it is a state bank, but our funding here has really been hurting. we need to run our schools, and that has everything to do with the health care of our children. i just wanted to make those

comments. >> thank you. education is vital. i was not in congress when they voted on notes of left behind, but i would have voted against it. -- on that no child left behind. if you're sitting behind a desk in washington, your average seller in the department of education is $92,000 a year. the national average for a teacher's salary is $47,000 a year, half of what they're getting in washington. they don't educate people up there. the money we're spending in washington in education is not getting to the schools, to the classrooms or it needs to bay. no child of bind is redundant based on what we have here in north carolina and the

accountability we already have here in north carolina. education should be a state and local issue. the federal funds we have, rather than putting people behind desks and paying their salary, we need to get the money down locally, back to the states. >> just another comment, we are not afraid of accountability in education. but there should be some fairness to it as well. >> the accountability that we have in north carolina is good. no child left behind -- the governor of texas who look at education reforms across the country and and decided that testing and accountability was good so they implemented it in texas. that plan was based off of the north carolina plant -- plan.

when the governor of texas became president, he made that the national model. well we are have it here in north carolina. it is redundant and expensive. good teachers are always in favor of accountability. i appreciate you coming out as saying your peace. we have two more left. >> i would like to say that i am proud to call you my congressman. my question for you is that we spoke about a lot of things tonight. by biggest fear is that we live in the greatest country in the world right now. this president, this administration, and your opposition in congress is steering this country to the left. i want to make sure the my

children and grandchildren are left in a country that i love will still be around. what can we do that besides voting? >> that is being engaged in the political process. but also following what is happening in washington, what is happening in raleigh and what is happening with our local government and making sure we hold our election officials accountable between elections. we cannot be active every other november november on a tuesday. that active engaged citizenry it means you have to be involved in every step of the process.

with the power of the internet, following someone on facebook, supporting your agenda and perspective, that helps significantly. the intent is to leave the next generation better off in this country than the country we found. that has always got to be our intent. we have to be mindful about that. when i vote in congress, i think about what it will do to the next generation. how it will impact them in terms of the indebtedness of this country in terms of our economy, in terms of our health care and our choices. thank you. thank you for coming out. is this your first town hall meeting? >> no. >> had been involved before then? >> ok.

glad you're involved. final question of the night? >> thank you for coming. my name is -- and my wife and i live here. i am a republican and a veteran. mr. president, i did not vote for you, nor will i vote for you again. i have lived through roughly 10 presidents. i remember world war ii, i grew up with the shadow of that. my entire family went all the way back to serving in the american revolution as well as a civil war. my mom's side of the family has been here since the 1700's.

we have relatives to sit up for the flag, which i did. i am sadly disappointed when the president runs around the country and world apologizing for our country. >> i love applause. i live in the u.k. for three years. i was in the military. i witnessed their health care system. it is horrible. a friend of mine almost died. he had an accident. they transported him to a british hospital, a severe trauma, internal injuries. they said oh a bloody yankee. they didn't do anything and three days later the air force came and got him and he had emergency surgery. it left a lot of resentment. i saw the results of the health

care, the average wage was about $25 a week. the unemployment was about the same part. the black market flourished, that is because taxes at that time, basically the communists are in control and taxes or a rage as. -- were outrageous. when they so proudly put a tax on cigarettes, they should have checked to see how many trucks were hijacked in the united states and how many sigrid curtains fall of the back door. that happens when you raise taxes. i work for government and myself so i know government.

he is not a government person, he is and elected official. some of these people who were for the government, and i work for one of the most corrupt states in the united states. it was not n.c.. it was the six borough of new york. it is a very corrupt state. the people stole and did not do their jobs. it was hard. they have what's called a medicaid taxi for those that are ill. they take you to doctors. these taxes would take people to the liquor store coming to the 711 and all these different places. that is billed back to the government and it comes out of your tax dollars. the fraud and waste of the government creates is unreal. ice stood up for that flag, i guarded your country. do not let me down. do not let me down.

do not let my brothers down. those that died. friends of mine died protecting your country and protecting that flag. do not let this government run all over you like they are doing. stand up for the constitution. listen to these people. we are all in agreement, we have some basic things we don't like. stand up for that flag. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for coming out and think before serving. -- and thank you for serving. >> i have a couple of comments i

would like to make. this quote is from nikita khrushchev made back in the 1960's. the title of this comment was the road to communism. you americans are so gullible, you will not accept communism out right, but we keep feeding a small doses of socialism until you finally wake up and find out you are the have communism. we will weaken your economy until you fall like overripe fruit in your hands. the way i look at it we have a one-party rule. this country reminds me of russia, china, north korea, venezuela. the way our country is headed right now, we will be on that list. need i say more about that

comment? the next comment, we may need to take better care of our troops. in case of war that are being called to serve. i think we are in war right now. some are on their third and fourth tour. i know the draft was stopped back in 19 -- 1990, somewhere in the near red.

-- somewhere in that neighborhood. >> thank you for coming out tonight. thank you for your comments. i appreciate you all coming out tonight. this is a record turned out. except for this year, the highest turn out i have had for a town hall meeting was one and 78 people. and that was in a much bigger town. for us to have was the total number? two hundred 57 tonight is significant. and i appreciate you coming out to keep your voice heard. people should be engaged in

owning their government, and engage in what happened to their government. people make their voices heard. when it comes to health care there is consensus against the president's plan. it does not mean we are not in favor of health-care reform but we need it to be rational. so we can save tax free for health insurance events, so we have more options for health care and small businesses can band together and negotiate their rates. that we can actually have a medical malpractice reform, that government getting further involved will not help the matter but make matters worse. these thinks -- these things, rather than weakening things, you have strengthened it me to go back and make my spine a lot stronger to go back in september

and fight this proposal, and to stand up for our district. thank you for coming out and making your voices heard. god bless you all. one final thing, i want to think of the jury -- cherryville fire department, who up to put this event on tonight. thank you so much and god bless.

>> i think we don't have all of the facts. no one has communicated this to people. they need to share the information with us now that we know. >> what do think the end result will be? >> i don't know. the bottom line is it doesn't matter who writes the check for health care. the whole delivery system needs reform. >> is there any particular politician in washington that you agree with at least some of the time? >> not really. >> i am from north carolina. concerning the health care

debate, i think everybody deserves health insurance. then when i think about the thought of a government auction, my concern is the government out price private insurance and will have a monopoly. that scares and concerns me and i don't have a clear answer on that. >> i am a social studies teacher from was central indiana. i think the debate about health care is long overdue. the things that are on the table right now lend themselves to a broad discussion of some of the problems that we have a in health care in the data states. -- in the united states. we have to have the discussion.

personally the people who are opposed to this probably have good insurance. they are working or fortunate enough to be covered. we talk to the 47 million or whatever the number is today, people who are uninsured and they want to have this discussion. >> has there been a discussion of this in the state senate at all? >> we just had a national congress state legislators in pennsylvania. we were going to send a resolution to the administration, encouraging them to continue the debate on health care. it went along party lines. we were able to send our resolution out of the state

legislators convention and going on to washington. it is just encourage then. >> i am from infant -- indianapolois. as american citizens, everyone is entitled to health care. i am personally hoping that the public auction will be considered strongly. i have two sons who have been unemployed and they don't have any health care because they lost their health care when they lost their jobs. not only for my two sons, but for anyone who is in a similar situation, i am hoping that health-care can be available for everybody.

>> i am against the government sent a pair health system. i believe there are a lot of good answers out there. i don't believe that government takeover of the health system as we are looking for. they have proved their inefficient in everything they have taken over. >> who is york congressman and have you had a town hall in your town? >> i know there have been various functions throughout the district. i believe he is against appear government health system.

>> as congress continues its summer recess, we would like to hear from you. are you attending a town hall meeting in your community? what do think about the various proposals that are being debated? share your thoughts with us on video as c-span.org/citizen video. live coverage of a town hall meeting on health care with virginia congressman and howard dean. from ruston virginia tuesday as 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. mississippi congressman gene taylor holds a town hall meeting to discuss proposed health-care legislation, a veteran issues and hurricane katrina. shortly after his remarks, he takes questions from the audience. this last about one hour 10 minutes.

>> everyone is entitled to their own opinions. the fact of the matter is that the debt has been growing a lot in our lifetimes and we have to get a handle on it. >> what i think that everyone needs to remember is that a little over eight years ago we were running annual operating surpluses. there were small, we still had an accumulated debt when george bush took office with a small annual operating surplus. president bush -- president

bush, if you recall, when we had an opportunity to start paying the debt down president bush said, it does not make sense to print -- pay down the debt prematurity. that is what could have happened. what did happen, the national debt doubled during those eight years, because of katrina and the war in iraq. also, the first prison i know of to cut taxes during a war. most other generations said, let's pay our bills now and not stick our kids with our bills. next?

some people have asked about the fair tax. [yelling in background] >> fair taxes billed as a 23% tax on everything. i would also remind you that there is also a 7% tax in mississippi. that is how the city is 1% of this money to help run the city. folks, i hope you came to listen

and then i will listen to your questions. [yelling in background] it is not a 23% tax. it is really a 30% tax. if the after-tax cost $100 and the item costs $77, there is $23 in taxes. a $23 tax on $77 is a 30% tax. next? a 30% tax would not raise enough revenue to replace the current system. the bush a administration said a sales tax would have to be at least 34%, the bush treasury department says it may need to raise the rate.

how would this affect the typical mississippi family? if you are married couple making 39,000, the taxes are 5600 come under the fair tax committee would be taxed 14,000, you get a rebate of $6,000, leaving you with a fair tax - the rebate of 7000. the current tax would be five dozen 600 vs 7900. cortex's 13,000 for married couples, 6000 rebate, their tax -, if you make 99,000, this came from the bush treasury department. current tax 23,000, for text 36

-- fair tax-- [chanting and yelling] >> health care expenditures in

america. hospital care. this is total national spending on health care. our nation already spends $746 billion on health care. 508 billion on physician services. other personal care services, to under 36 billion. nursing home care winner 37 billion. home health care 64 billion. prescription drugs 235 billion. medical corpsman 64 billion. government public health activities 68 billion. research facility investment 152 billion -- national health spending by source. again for those people who do much, a federal government

spends $810 billion on health care. state and local governments spend $298 billion on health care, private insurance a tender 17 billion medicare expenditures. these are where your tax dollars go for health care right now under the existing plan. for hospitals, 157 billion, physicians, a 68 billion, insurance plans to administer this, and 98 billion, prescription drugs 49 billion, nursing homes 24 billion, home health care 16 billion, other benefits 55 billion, administrative expenses 6 billion. where does the money come from? medicare revenue. payroll taxes 198 billion.

general federal funds 184 billion. beneficiary premium of 68 billion. interest on the fund surplus 19 billion, a tax on social security 11 billion. what does mississippi get already? and again, this is huge. nursing homes, a $672 million. inpatient hospital 543 million, prescription drugs 300 million parent facilities for the mentally retarded 277 million. out patient 252, as i mentioned, we have one of the most favorable ratios of federal dollars to state dollars for mccain.

medicaid. what is the other factor we have to keep in mind? in addition to the cost of the existing situation, as a nation are getting old. when my dad was a teenager, there were 20 working people for every one retiree. right now there are three working people for every retiree. demographically, it doesn't get any easier to pay these bills. it gets harder. as you can see in 1960, there are only 1 million americans

over 85. right now there are close to 5 million people and they are projecting by 2030, there'll be close to 9 million. it is a fact of life at -- life as we get up and age we will have higher bills. the last thing, because these are commonly asked questions, what is going on? i see my friend who is trying to build a hurricane proof house. he is probably paying an enormous insurance bill for that house. we are still working to have the federal government let you buy if you want to wind insurance as an option to your flood insurance. a great many of you came to my town hall meeting shortly after the storm and said that they got

screwed by their insurance companies. the only people who paid me were my fled -- federal flood insurance and my home owners which i was counting on putting me up. what does that mean when they denied your claim? it meant that somebody had to pick up the difference and that somebody was our nation. george bush made the promise and i am glad he did. he stood in jackson square and said if you have lost your home and you need a place to stay we will get to a fema trailer. the famous trailer cost about 15,000. one of the president's big contributors got a contract to deliver them for 16,000 per trailer. that is $31,000 per trailer.

in mississippi we had 42,000 fema trailers. that is making up for that. i think the people who buy the premiums ought to pay the bill -- i think the people who pay the premiums of to pay the bill. with the bidding for contractors after the storm it happen. flood insurance only has a $250,000 limit on it. in addition to letting you by wind insurance, the amounts you can purchase, you want the amount for your possessions up. we want to let people with condos by it. no matter what happens to your house, whether the wind or water did it, you bui